Do you think rhythm guitar is over looked?
Asked by
Steve_A (
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March 11th, 2010
When it comes to playing there is usually two distinct approach in a song or playing theres the lead and the rhythm, guitarist or maybe least in my experience try to really hard at making cool solos,licks or whatever…..but they never seem to care or focus on the “meat” or the rhythm of the song.
Without the foundation or a good rhythm going It takes a lot away in my opinion.
Though you could equally say there are times when just the lead or solo is taking over it has it places I think. But in general I mean I don’t think guitarists seem to care for it?
What do you think?
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10 Answers
No,but the banjo is,and Im not gonna take it anymore!!!!#$$#!! ;)
@lucillelucillelucille LOL, you know other stringed instruments can count too in this case ;)
Now that you mention it I have been wanting to try out a mandolin.
@SteveA-See??? Don’t forget the dulcimer! ;)
I play and I LOVE playing rhythm. Sure, it’s not as glamorous as a radical riff that splits the cosmos but it’s the base of the whole tune. It’s like a sandwich….
Rhythm guitar is the bottom piece of bread: With out the bottom piece, your sandwich has nothing to sit on and it will fall apart.
Bass guitar is the top piece of bread: It’s not necessarily needed but things can get messy without it.
Drums are the substance (meat): With no substance, your sandwich is just a snack and won’t fill your hunger. You need the percussion to keep time and give every instrument a reason to play together.
Lead guitar is the add-ons: The lead is veggies/extras because it takes the sandwich from something to eat to survive to a delicious meal that you want to eat even if your not hungry because it’s delicious.
Vocals are the condiments: Mustards, mayos, whatever you prefer. A sandwich can be good without them but they do give that little bit of extra flavor. A bad vocalist can ruin a band just like a bad batch of mayo can ruin a sandwich.
Also, when you play lead, there is all that pressure on stage to hit your licks in time and not miss a note during fast sweeps and solos whereas the rhythm just kicks back and plays the riff that keeps the train moving along. If the lead messes up, the rhythm looks like the guitar god of the night. Not that you wish for the lead to mess up because your all on the same team after all but… you get what I’m saying
John Lennon playing vibrant rythmn on “Twist and Shout” is imho rythmn at its best. I would agree that it tends to be overlooked nowadays.
I also play the Hammered Dulcimer and the Mountain Dulcimer by the way – both can be good for either rythmn or lead
A good rhythm guitarist is everything when it comes to guitar playing in a band. Some bands made it big on their rhythm guitarist playing. Pete Townsend, Joe Perry, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimmy Paige were/are gigantic rhythm guitarists first and foremost and are the best of the best and carrying the weight of a song with amazing rhythm guitar work.
I’m a lead guitarist and I’ll tell you this. All that “glamorous, sweet sounding riffs” would be nothing without a good backing. My current rhythm guitarist loves his role and I wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s a genius when it comes to the “meat”. Rhythm is very much so greatly over looked by mere listeners, but musicians a like know, who’s making stuff happen. :)
Gotta have the foundation before you build the tower. I think that it’s important for bands with multiple guitarists that want to rock some lead to trade off, and hopefully be proficient at rhythm as well… I’ve heard some amazing lead guitarists that are horrific rhythm guitarists… sometimes that stuff just doesn’t translate.
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